How To Get Back On Track And Paid On Time

Reconfiguring your e-invoicing for alerts can make the difference between getting paid and putting your business in jeopardy.

Companies have used electronic invoicing for several years to bill their customers with great success.  Recently, some companies have been experiencing difficulties with customers regarding their invoices.  Some customers refuse to pay if any discrepancies arise between invoices and the cost of products they believed were delivered.  Customers are more vigilant and rigorous in dealing with their deliveries.  This may be from previous expectations or just to ensure that they receive what they pay for.  In any case, companies need to find a solution to this problem.  Delayed payments, or no payments, can hinder a company’s ability to function and survive.

If you’re experiencing difficulties with customers, it’s time to examine how you handled this process many years ago.  What aspect of that process worked?  What caused you to change that process?  Analysis needs to occur for this issue to come to an end.  You need to discover why customers are not paying promptly and what you can do to resolve those issues.  Once you answer those questions, you can implement strategies to diminish the issues, such as more comprehensive training for delivery personnel or adding fields to invoicing system to ensure correct item recording.  What was once sound and efficient is no longer applicable, so a new path must be drawn.  This doesn’t mean that you need to completely overhaul how you handle electronic invoicing.  You don’t need to buy new systems or pay a bank for an invoicing service.  However, you do need to reconfigure your existing system if it is not working for you.

One example of this problem: there is a direct store or plant delivery person who does not know how much of a product a store will need until he or she arrives. Once there, that person fills the shelf and records the quantity of product actually delivered. When the invoice arrives at the store, they may dispute what they received or the amount they were charged. Our experienced EDI consultants at DCS can help with this issue. They can provide training to direct store or plant delivery people to enter prices under correct categories, thus guaranteeing correct invoices and timely payments from customers. With the right EDI team, you may not need an IT system change, which saves money and the hassle of learning an entire new system.

To learn more about how DCS can help you with your electronic invoicing, contact us at [email protected] or call at 952-941-5466.